1000 Words
by DancerInTheDark101
Summary: After match with Brooklyn. Something is seriously wrong with Kai. But will Tala be able to help him before it's too late? Will he have time to say goodbye?


1000 WORDS 

**Hay peoples, it's me again! (And I bet you're all going 'OH NO!!!') This is just a random fic that I wrote in one night when I was pretty upset. Hope you like. **

**I would also like to thank EVERYONE who has reviewed on ANY of my fics. It really means a lot to me.**

**Well, on with the fic!!!**

A lone figure lay on the deserted roof of the building staring at the Russian night sky. He was gazing at the bright stars, burning against the black blanket of sky that was space. They seemed so bright for something that existed far, far away. It almost seemed impossible for their light to reach the small planet of Earth and to the boy's naked eyes. He had always loved staring at the stars. They reminded him of his mother and father. His parents had always said that the stars were your loved ones looking over you from above. The only catch was, the loved ones were the ones who had left life and gone somewhere better, to where they would never get hurt again. The boy looked up and wondered if any of the stars in the sky were his parents looking down at him from their place in heaven – if it did exist. How he wished he could speak to them one last time, to tell them how much he loved them and how much he admired them. But they were gone and he would never have that chance as they were taken away far too early.

He couldn't really remember his parents at all as he was only four when they were taken from him in a terrible car accident. He couldn't even remember their funeral, but a vivid image always plagued his dream: an image of the car, upside down and in the ditch - his parents staring at him from the front seat, trying to get to him and comfort him. Then, slowly, the life faded from their eyes as it was taken somewhere else to live. He could remember though, that their love stayed in their eyes, even though their souls had gone. That was what haunted him to this day.

Sighing, the lone boy took a deep breath and closed his eyes. He was so tired; he just wanted to sleep until it was all over. Sleep without the image being played over and over in his mind. He knew that the only way that would happen if he were to die, and he didn't want to die. Not right now anyway. The boy opened his eyes and stared at the burning balls of gas and fire hanging in the night sky. Few animals were still awake at the time of the night, but some were. He could hear a few birds chirping from a nearby tree. They sounded happy and cheerful. The boy only wished that he could feel that way, even just for one last time.

A call drifted up to where he lay and the boy bit his lip. He didn't want to be found now. He wanted to be left alone with his thoughts. A winding road was ahead of him and he needed to know if he would make it through all of the obstacles or not. And only he could decide his fate, his friends couldn't help. No one could.

His friends were trying to find him and in their voices, he could hear the concern and worry. He didn't like worrying his friends, as they had done so much for him, but this was the one time he needed to be alone. With no disturbances and no worries. Well, worries wasn't the right word, as the reason he was on the roof was because he was worried. What of, he wasn't quite sure of yet.

A tear streaked down a pale cheek as he thought of what his friends would do if he didn't make it down the winding road. If he didn't manage to break through one of the obstacles in the way and was left behind. He didn't know if his friends could take it. Lifting a slender hand, the boy wiped away the lone tear and struggled to keep a grip on his emotions. He was renowned for having no emotions, so he tried to keep them away. But this time, the emotions were too great and soon they swelled and broke through his now-fragile shell. The tears started leaking from his eyes like river and sobs racked his shivering body. It was cold on the roof and his wasn't helping the problem he had. Every bad scenario played through his mind and he couldn't take it anymore; shouting, beatings, torture, death. They all played over and over again. The four things he couldn't stand and it made him weak in the stomach.

He heaved and his lunch and dinner spattered beside him, mingling with his tears. The boy could taste the salt from his tears on his lips and he licked them to get rid of the foul taste. He heaved again, but this time nothing came up and the boy lay back on the cold roof, his body shivering from the cold and shock of the memories running through his head. The calling got louder and louder until he could take it no more. His friends were getting very anxious and it sounded like they were about to call the police. He didn't like police, so he sat up slowly and leaned over the side of the roof to stare down at his friends huddling together to fight off the biting cold of the night.

In a choked whisper, he spoke out to one of them, telling them where he was. The one he had spoken to looked up at the sound of his voice and his eyes widened as he saw who had called out to him. The boy smiled slightly at his friend's reaction, but soon felt himself losing the battle to stay conscious. His eyelids dropped as if they were filled with concrete and the stars began to blacken. In a matter of seconds, he was fast asleep and dreaming.

"_Mumma!" screamed a little boy, his eyes wide with shock. "Dadda!" Tears slipped out from a pair of startling crimson eyes and dropped onto his torn shirt, dampening the shirt and mixing with the bright red blood. A sharp pain pierced his arm and the boy screamed as he tried to pull out the shard of metal embedded in his upper arm. The little boy stared at the two elder people lying in the front seats, eyes slightly open. The woman moved her hand to try to get to her son who was crying and screaming in the back seat. "Son," she whispered to her baby boy. "Shhh, please. Everything is going to be alright," she soothed. Her voice was like that of an angel's. Calm, soothing and motherly all at the same time. _

"_Mumma?" sniffed the small boy. The tears were starting to dry now as the boy and his parents lay, trapped in their car that had rolled and landed in the nearby ditch. "A-are you gonna be okay?" he asked in his small, child-like voice. The woman smiled at her son._

"_I'm going to be just fine. But remember this, I love you Kai," she said in her angelic voice, calming the boy. The small boy then watched as his mother took in a deep sigh of breath and lat back in the crumpled seat. He waited for her to speak, to even look at him. She never did. Tears began to creep out of his eyes again as he realised his mother was not going to be fine. She was lying in her chair, eyes open, but unseeing. He could still see her love in her bright blue eyes, but the life that had embraced her only moments before was gone. She was dead._

"_MUMMA!" screamed the boy, fear and grief taking over his small body. He tried to crawl over to his mother, but the way he was trapped wouldn't let him. He was stuck where he was, staring at his dead mother with her unseeing eyes. The only part of his body that could reach his mother, was his hand, which he reached out and gripped his mother's pale hand. His small frame shook with sobs and he wished and wished with all his might that he was home and being tucked into bed by his mother and father. He even tried screwing his eyes shut and then opening them, but nothing worked. Eventually, he cried himself to sleep, his small hand protectively clutching his mother's cold hand._

Tala stared at his friend, lying in a hospital bed, hooked up to every machine the hospital could offer. He never thought in a million years he would see Kai like he was. His best friend was pale, shaking and hooked up to a heart monitor. The doctors hadn't told any of them much yet, but they had said that he was very sick. Tala remembered a few weeks back when Kai had started to act weirdly. It had been a nice autumn day, the sun had been shining, but Kai had been shaking like a leaf and was in bed.

/flashback/

"Kai? What's wrong?" asked Tala. The Russian was lying in his queen-sized bed, shaking and as white as a ghost. The blankets were pulled up to his neck and he was clutching them protectively.

Kai didn't answer and Tala lost his temper. "Kai! I'm you friend! I'm just trying to help, but if you don't want any help, then FINE!" he shouted and stormed out of the room, slamming the door on his way out. Tala then went outside and sat in the sun, thinking.

Ten minutes later, Kai came out. Dressed in a pair of black cargo pants and a black long-sleeved t-shirt, you would have thought it was winter. Tala looked beside him as Kai sat next to him, his face downcast and sad. He opened his mouth to speak, but Tala got there first. "I'm sorry, Kai. I shouldn't have yelled at you like that. It's just…" he mumbled. "I'm worried about you, Kai. You've never been this sick before. I'm scared."

Tala looked over to Kai and was startled to see tears running down the Russian teen's face. Tala immediately began to worry. "Oh my God, Kai. I'm sorry!"

Kai sniffed and cleared his throat. "It's…it's okay, Tala. You didn't do anything wrong. I've…never felt this sick in my life," he confessed, tears threatening to overflow. "I don't know what to do…"

/end flashback/

That had been when Kai had first admitted he was sick. Since then, he had got progressively worse. They had taken him to countless doctors and hospitals, but nothing helped. Now he was hospitalised and no one knew what was wrong with him.

Tala sat beside Kai, holding his hand that didn't have an IV drip inserted into a vein. His hand was slightly cold, certainly not the warmth it should have been, but that was to be expected having spent a night on a roof. Tala began to talk to Kai, hoping he would be able to hear him somehow. He was telling him how much everyone was worrying when Kai's doctor walked into the room, a blank look on his face. Tala immediately knew that something wasn't right.

He stood up as the doctor crossed the room. The doctor cleared his throat and started talking and Tala felt as though his whole world had come crashing down in a second.

Tears that had been caged in before escaped and cascaded down his face, his ice-blue eyes lost their warmth and became hard, cold and distant, trying to hide the pain that was threatening to show. This couldn't be happening. He gazed down at Kai lying prone on the bed, eyes closed, breathing regular and his legs gave way. A moment later, Tala was on the floor staring at his hands, which were shaking, and he cried. His best friend couldn't be…could he? He couldn't. Not now, not ever. Why? They were the thoughts that crossed Tala's mind as he sat on the clean floor of Kai's hospital room. He hadn't even had a chance to say goodbye…

Hilary burst out in tears when she heard the news. Beside her, Tyson, Rei, Max, Daichi and Kenny weren't fairing any better. Across the room sat the Blitzkrieg Boys. She could only guess what they were thinking at this point in time. Tear streaks marked their pales faces as they bowed their heads, not letting anyone see the emotions running across their faces. Sniffing, she turned to Rei and stared him in the eye. She could see the pain in the golden orbs. He was thinking the same thing as her.

"R-Rei," Hilary stuttered. "Why didn't we see it before? We could have d-done something. Any-anything."

Rei didn't answer and she knew that he didn't know the answer and was wondering the same thing. Life wasn't fair. They had never even got the chance to talk to him about it. He had obviously known something was wrong. Knowing him, he probably knew exactly what it was as well.

"Why?" she whispered to herself. "Why him?"

Tala heard Hilary ask Rei why they hadn't seen it before. He had been thinking the exact same thing and asking himself how good of a best friend he was if he didn't know that his best friend was really sick. Now he would never be able to talk to Kai and have him respond back. Kai would never talk again – because he would never wake up.

When the doctor had come into Kai's hospital room before, he had told Tala that Kai had slipped into a deep coma, a coma from which he would never wake up. But it wasn't the coma itself that would make Kai never wake up. It was the thing inside him. His _problem_ as he had told his doctors. Kai had septicaemia.

Blood poisoning.

Tala knew what blood poisoning was, and he also knew that untreated it would kill. Kai's doctor had told Tala that Kai had sustained an injury in his beybattle with Brooklyn in the Justice Five tournament. The bad cut had then got infected, which Kai had not treated and turned into septicaemia. Kai was going to die in a few days.

Tala couldn't believe that a cut on Kai's abdomen would kill him in a few days. His mind kept going back to when Kai had told him that he never wanted to die, that he was scared of dying. Now he had no choice in the matter, the doctors couldn't do anything for him. He had left treatment too late.

The Russian teen stared at the object sitting in his palm. The blue and red colours of Kai's beyblade gazed back at him. In the middle of the blade rested a chip. On the chip was a picture of a beautiful and majestic phoenix. Kai's beloved phoenix; Dranzer. He knew that Kai couldn't live without Dranzer, so he had brought her to the hospital to be with her master as his life flowed out of him. The gold, red and orange colours of the phoenix almost jumped out of the bitchip and Tala could feel the power radiating off the beyblade. It was no wonder why Kai was such a strong and feared beyblader. Dranzer was like his second spirit. Tala could feel part of Kai in the blade and almost smiled as a picture of him and Kai battling came into his head. He only wished that they would be able to do that another time, but it wasn't meant to be. Kai was dying and nothing, not even the immortal phoenix could help him this time.

_Water rushed up to meet his body as he fell through the air. A large splash echoed in the air as he entered the freezing waters of the lake. The boy felt his muscles spasm as the cold of the water started to infest his body with the deadly chill. All he could see was blue water wavering in front of his face, bubbles dancing in front of his glazed over eyes. He knew was going to die soon if he didn't get out of the water, but his muscles wouldn't obey what his mind was screaming at him. In what seemed a very short time, his air ran out and he started to feel his eyes closing, succumbing to the darkness that was closing in. In one last blinding flash, a still picture appeared in front of his eyes – even though they were closed. It wasn't a happy picture. All eyes were downcast and sad. Some tears had leaked from eyes and had trailed down pail faces. No one looked happy. There were a lot of people in the picture, all with the same expression on their faces, but one stood out to him. He was a tall teen, with flaming red hair and startling blue eyes that held nothing but grief. A name came to him and he whispered the name out loud. _

"_Tala…"_

_Kai felt one lone crystalline tear fall from his eye and then there was nothing. He was free…_

Tala watched in horror as the heart monitor stopped beeping and started emitting a shrill flat beep, signalling that the person's heart it was monitoring had stopped. Tears began to fall and stain his pale face. He couldn't be gone, he couldn't…

"Kai!" Tala screamed to his best friend. He shook his head, not wanting to believe that he was dead. "Wake up! KAI!!!"

Doctors rushed into the room as Tala screamed at Kai to wake up. They stood and watched the teen break apart as he realised that his best friend wasn't coming back from where he had gone. They too, felt the tears escaping their eyes. They were trained to deal with deaths, but the heartbreak coming off the teen was so immense, even they couldn't help the tears rushing out. They watched until the redheaded boy exhausted himself and slumped down by the bed in which his dead friend was lying. Sobs racked his body as he cried for the life lost.

"Wake up…" he said, his voice reduced to a whisper.

Just as the doctors were about to go and talk to the Russian, nine other teenagers walked into the room. Their faces were happy; they obviously hadn't heard the news. One by one, the teens stopped and shocked looks appeared on their once-happy faces. One of them, the one the doctors recognised as Rei shouted out.

"Kai! No!"

Then the others broke down. Half of them dropped to the ground and cried.

Bryan was in shock. Kai was _dead. _He would never train them again, never battle against them, never even smile – not that he did that often anyway. Bryan looked over to where Tala was sitting. He really felt for Tala, considering he was the Ice Prince's best friend. To a lot of people, Kai was and uncaring, a loner. But to them, Kai was not cold. Sure, he didn't talk a lot, but that didn't mean he was cold. Kai was misunderstood by a lot of people, and the trust he and Tala had was very rare.

Ian couldn't believe that Kai was dead. He had always been there for the team when they most needed him and they weren't there for him when he departed from the Earth. Even when they were in the Abbey, Kai had always stood up for them, and he had been punished for it severely. But now, Kai was gone and he would never have to be hurt again.

Spencer watched as the others cried and cried. He too, felt tears running down his cheeks and thought about wiping them away, but decided against it. Kai had just died. His _friend_ had just died, he was allowed to cry. Glancing over at Tala, Spencer wondered what was going on in their captain's mind: probably everything and anything that would keep his mind off Kai's death. He clenched his fists and cursed Kai for giving up and dying. He knew it wasn't really Kai's fault, but he needed to blame someone. He was concerned about Tala.

Tyson's mind just went blank as he realised that Kai was dead. The cold captain of the BladeBreakers was gone, forever. He wouldn't wake them at six in the morning to get them up to train; there would be no more buckets of cold water. As much as Tyson hated the cold wake up calls, he would still miss them. What were they going to do without their captain? Kai was a unique person, with his own training and blading style that made him one of the most formidable bladers in the world – second to Tyson. Tyson knew that without Kai's guidance, he would have never become World Champion, but he had never had enough guts to tell Kai that himself, and now it was too late…

Rei's mind screamed 'NO!' at him. He was in denial and he knew it. He watched Kai's still body just lying there, willing him to breathe. When no breath came, he felt himself sliding to the floor in defeat. It was true. Kai was dead. He looked so peaceful lying on the hospital bed, eyes closed, face pale. The heart monitor was still emitting a shrill continuous beep and Rei wished for it to be turned off. But more than anything in the world, he wished for the machine to start beeping at regular intervals again – something that would never happen.

Max stared at everyone around him, the tears blurring his vision. Kai was _gone. _He would never boss them around at trainings, never watch and observe them to make them better. He would just be _dead. _Max wondered how the rest of the world would react to the great Kai Hiwatari's death: probably not too great. Kai was one of the most sought after beybladers in the world. He had the looks; skills and money do anything he wanted; yet he would not be able to do anything with them. His lifeline was cut too early.

Kenny immediately slumped to the floor when he realised Kai was dead. A moment later, he passed out, the shock too much for him to handle.

Hilary burst out in tears as she took a look at the still form of Kai lying on his hospital bed. Tala was sitting beside the bed, his eyes hidden from view. Hilary had always thought of Kai as good-looking and a very powerful blader, at one point she even asked him out. Of course he had said no, Kai wasn't the kind of person to go out with people. Hilary knew that for the rest of her life, even when she dated other people, she would always have a place in her heart for the cold Ice Prince that was Kai Hiwatari.

Daichi wasn't crying and he felt quite isolated because everyone else was. He didn't know Kai well enough to cry for his death. Sure, he was sad that he had died, and being so young and all. But he hadn't spent enough time with the Russian to be _really_ sad. Looking around, Daichi saw that Kenny had fainted and realised what an impact Kai's death would have on the team. They would never be the same again.

Tala couldn't think, he couldn't breathe. His best friend was dead and there was nothing he could do about it. He had heard the doctors come in and stand there, and he had heard the BladeBreakers and the rest of the Blitzkrieg Boys come in and start crying. But he didn't turn around to acknowledge any of them; all he wanted to do was be with Kai. Sobbing, he couldn't stop the tears from falling. He knew that Kai wouldn't want anyone to cry over his death, but he couldn't help himself. Kai was too important to him for him not to cry. Slowly, Tala became aware of a doctor walking towards the bed where Kai lay. Tala looked up and saw that doctor reach over and turn the respirator and heart monitor off. The silence that followed was like someone stabbing him in the heart. It was a big shock and Tala knew it affected everyone in the room.

"Kai," he whispered to the still form on the bed in front of him. "Why did you have to leave me?"

**THREE DAYS LATER**

Tala stood outside in the sun, watching the birds fly overhead, their wings flapping gracefully in time. Today was the day of Kai's funeral. He was going to be buried in Russia in the same cemetery that his parents and other family members were buried.

The cemetery was beautiful in a cemetery kind of way. Tall trees surrounded the cemetery, almost like they were protecting the dead. Stone paths ran through the cemetery, winding across the grass and creating a contrast to the bright green grass. Several different shades of headstones were placed systematically around the cemetery, in long lines, all neat and tidy. Many varieties of flowers bloomed and blossomed beside and in front of the headstones, showing that the person buried there was still loved and missed even though they had been taken from the Earth.

Tala looked around the cemetery, seeing the beauty that was cared after so carefully to ensure the most peaceful visits for grieving friends and family. Tala wished that cemeteries were like those in horror movies; cold, dark, damp and uninviting. He didn't want to see the beauty of the world while his best friend lay in the ground unable to see what was around him. Tala's ice-blue eyes glanced around and came to rest on the place where Kai would be buried. He quickly averted his gaze. He didn't want to see the six-foot deep hole that Kai's body would be lowered into and covered with tonnes of dirt. He didn't even want to _think_ about it.

Others had started to arrive for the funeral that would be held next-door to the cemetery in a stunning white building. Kai had told Tala that if he died, he never wanted his funeral to be held in a church, the reason being that he wasn't religious. So Tala had obliged and demanded that the funeral not be held in a church.

The building was an old Russian heritage building with a lot of history to it. Kai had been proud of his nationality and Tala thought that the building had been perfect for the _occasion_. Inside, the Russian building was styled antique with candle lighting and chandeliers. There was going to be artificial lighting for the funeral, but not so much that the atmosphere of the building would change. Black and red roses were going to decorate the isle and around the massive room. They were Kai's favourite flowers.

Soon enough – too soon for Tala – it was time for the funeral to start. Only five hundred people had been allowed to attend the funeral and most them Tala, the Blitzkrieg Boys and Mr. Dickinson had decided. Hundreds more of Kai's fans were piled outside of the Russian building and cemetery trying to get in or even see what was happening. Half of them were crying.

Tala stood outside of the building in a black suit and tie. His red hair was styled the same way it always had been – in two devil horns. His ice-blue eyes were sad and grieving. He was waiting for the rest of the Blitzkrieg Boys to arrive so they could carry in Kai's coffin.

Several minutes later a black limousine pulled up outside the funeral place and out stepped three grieving teens, all dressed in matching black suits and ties. Tala stared on as Ian, Spencer and Bryan shuffled over to where he was standing, their gazes dropped to the ground.

"Hey," Tala said in almost a whisper.

"Hey, Tala," came the mumbled reply from three different voices. Grief was plainly evident in their voices and Tala was slightly shocked to see that they weren't even trying to hide the pain Kai's death had caused.

For at least a minute, the remaining Blitzkrieg Boys stood in a part-circle, eyes downcast, voices silenced. A few people glanced their way with sympathy in their gaze, but most of them ignored them, knowing that they wanted to be left alone to think about their dead friend.

Minutes later, the limo carrying Kai's casket pulled up. (A/N: I know what the car is called, but I don't know how to spell it so I didn't put it in. Hehe.) The windows were tinted black so that the deceased had _some_ form of privacy. Tala tensed as the back of the car was opened and he got his first look of Kai's eternal resting bed. The casket was beautiful. White polished wood with gold trim embedded in the edges. A gold plaque was placed towards the top of the casket and below it rested a bunch of black roses, their stems and thorns trimmed to perfection. They were tied together with a blood-red ribbon.

Tala started crying as the casket was lifted out of the car and placed on a trolley. His best friend was lying in the 'box'. Kai had hated enclosed spaces and even the thought of entering an elevator scared him shitless. But now, Kai was lying in a very enclosed casket, dead.

Tala felt someone's hand tap him on the shoulder and he lifted his red-rimmed gaze off Kai's casket and to the person who had disturbed him. It was Bryan. He was motioning for him to go over to the casket and get ready to carry it into the funeral room. Tala nodded and began to shakily walk over and grasped the first of the four golden handles situated on the sides of the casket. Tala chose the left hand side handle so he would be closer to Kai's heart. It was sappy, and he knew it, but it was how he felt. By being closer to the thing that gave Kai life, he felt as though he was closer to his soul.

The other three Blitzkrieg Boys grabbed the other handles and lifted the casket off the temporary trolley. The casket wasn't that heavy, but Tala wasn't surprised. Kai had never been a heavy person. He had always had some way to stay thin and muscled. Tala had never figured out how he had done it.

Giving a small smile, Tala remembered when he had pushed and pushed Kai to tell him his 'thin' secret. Kai had never budged and in the end Kai had eaten a whole chocolate cake to prove that he did eat fatty and junk foods.

Just as the tears dried, the music started, signalling that they were to begin the long, hard journey of carrying their best friend's casket into the large Russian building. Tala suddenly found it very hard to breathe, but fought the waves of nausea and started forward. His breath was coming in short, sharp gasps, but he tried to control it – for the sake of the others behind and beside him.

The large Oak doors opened and the music wafted outside. The song was saddening and Tala could see almost all of the people in the building crying. Their crystalline tears trailing down faces of all sorts. He got a glimpse of the BladeBreakers, seated in the second row from the front and wished he had never seen them. All of them were crying. Rei was the worst. Tala knew that Rei had been the closest to Kai out of all the team, mainly because they had always shared a room when they had travelled away.

Making it down the somewhat very long isle, Tala placed Kai's casket on the stand where it was supposed to go. Candles surrounded the stand and Tala felt the heat coming off them.

Staring out to space, Tala felt another hand on his shoulder and felt himself being steered towards their seats in the front row. He sat down and continued to stare at the white casket that represented Kai's innocence.

That was when the man in charge of the funeral started speaking in his deep, melodious voice.

"Today we are saddened to have heard of the passing of a quiet, caring friend and relative. Every single one of you here in this room has somewhere or somehow had contact with Kai Hiwatari, a skilled blader and confident person. That is why you are here today, to celebrate his life and his accomplishments that he worked very hard to achieve. Millions of people looked up to him and were awed by his extreme style of beyblading. I know that all of you are most upset by his death, but it may be the best to try to forget about it and remember all of the good things that happened in his short life."

There were a few murmurs at the man's last statement. Tala felt the tears dry on his face as the rage started to build up inside him. When the rage was at bursting point, he stood up and faced the man.

"How _dare_ you," he screamed, red faced. "How dare you say that we should forget Kai's death! He was my _best friend!_ I don't believe you!"

Tala clenched his fists as he yelled and could feel all the eyes in the room on him. He didn't care; all he wanted to do was stop the man saying stuff he shouldn't.

"He was my best friend," he added in a whisper.

The man standing at the front of the room looked ashamed. He cleared his throat and Tala looked up at the sound.

"Tala," he began. "I am very sorry if I offended you in any way. I know Kai meant a lot to you and I can tell you that I did not intentionally mean to hurt you or anyone," he looked about the massive room, "in this building."

Tala nodded and accepted the apology. The man carried on.

"My name is Hayden Smith. I met Kai through a man named Stanley Dickinson, or as many of you may know him – Mr. Dickinson. When I first met Kai, he was only three years old. He had been taken to Stanley's house after his parents had been killed in a tragic car accident. He was the only one to survive out of his parents, older sister and older brother.

"Kai was a very shy young boy, he didn't talk very much at all. The only person he would respond to was Stanley and his grandfather – but I won't go into that. I would just like to inform you all of something. Kai was a very wonderful boy with lots of hopes and dreams. I know that he will never be able to fulfil half of those dreams, so I would hope that some of you in here today would continue on those dreams so at least, in some form, Kai won't be gone from you completely."

Hayden Smith finished his speech in tears, along with half the population in the room. "I would now like to call up Tala Ivanov to talk about his best friend," he turned and motioned for Tala to step up. "Tala, if you would?"

Tala nodded and took in a deep breath. This was the part he had been dreading. He loved Kai like a brother, but talking about him in front of hundreds of people was unnerving. The feelings raging through his body were too raw to explain in words.

"Umm…" he started, unsure of what to say. "Kai was my best friend. We shared a lot of good and bad times together. We were in the Abbey together…" He let that sentence trail off, swallowed and carried on with a different topic.

"Kai was always there for me. When I was hurt, sick, just plain annoying and disruptive." That got a bit of a laugh from the crowd and Tala smiled slightly. "He never complained about taking care of me and the rest of the Blitzkrieg Boys. He was a good person, quiet, but good. Kai had a decent heart and he cared a lot for a lot of people.

"I love – loved – Kai like a brother. That's how close we were. We shared each other's secrets almost every day. We helped each other out. We were…close."

Tala sniffed, trying to rid himself of the tears that had escaped. Unfortunately, it didn't work.

"If I could have anything in the world, it would be to have Kai back. But I know that people can't come back from the dead. So, Kai…I hope you are happy in your new home and don't feel pain anymore. I will never forget you; you mean the world to me. Kai, I guess this is goodbye…"

Tala stepped down from the podium and realised he had reduced the crowd of five hundred people into a mass of blubbering humans. Tears, sobs and cries echoed throughout the room. In turn, it reduced Tala to tears that he couldn't hold back.

An hour later, the speeches were over and the service was coming to a close. Afterwards, they would go next door to the cemetery and bury Kai in a plot next to his family. That was that part Tala was dreading the most. It would be the last time he would ever see even Kai's casket.

It took a full ten minutes to get everyone over to the cemetery. The sun was burning brightly, the birds were singing in a melodious chorus. It was a beautiful day and Tala only wished that Kai had been there to see it.

Tala walked over to where the casket was resting beside the deep six foot hole in the ground. He read the plaque that was nailed to the lid. It read:

_Kai Alexander Hiwatari_

_1988 – 2006_

'Goddam it,' thought Tala. 'He was only eighteen!'

The burial service began with Hayden Smith saying a few words that others had wanted to say, but didn't have the will power to do so.

"We will always remember you, Kai. You will live on in our hearts forever."

"Even though you're gone, your training schemes will stay!" That was Tyson and Tala could only laugh at the statement.

"The Phoenix will live on, even if we can't see you."

"The world may change, but you never will. Kai, you will always be a hero in my eyes."

Tala found half the statements too much to handle and had to block out Hayden's voice. He only snapped out of his trance when a voice appeared to his ear and whispered a few words.

"Okay," he nodded.

They were getting ready to lower Kai's casket into the ground. A basket full of red roses was passed around, only those closest to Kai got black ones. That included Tala, Spencer, Bryan, Ian, the BladeBreakers and Mr. Dickinson.

Tala watched as Hayden Smith pushed play on a stereo and music wafted across the air, reaching everyone's ears. The song was called 1000 Words.

'_**Cause a thousand words  
Call out through the ages  
They'll fly to you  
Even though I can't see  
I know they're reaching you  
Suspended on silver wings**_

Tala could relate to the words. He knew that what ever he said, Kai would be listening and that they would reach him where ever he was. Tala grabbed one of the ropes that were to lower Kai's body into the ground. The texture of the rope reminded him of the ropes that had bound all of them when they were prisoners in the Abbey and Tala shuddered at the horrible memory.

With the music playing, with people crying, Tala and the Blitzkrieg Boys lowered their good friend to rest for the final time. They cried and talked to the prone body inside the casket as the lowered the ropes. Although it seemed like they were talking to the deceased, they all knew that they were trying to clam themselves enough so that they could do the task at hand.

Tala let out a sob as he felt the casket hit the dirt with a small thud. The casket was in place and all they had to do was throw the roses down into the hole and everything would be over. Tala didn't want it to be over, that would mean saying goodbye forever and Tala didn't like forever.

"Kai, I'll miss you," he said, his voice shaky. "Goodbye…" With that, Tala threw his black and red tinged rose into the hole where it landed right where Kai's heart would be. Only, Tala didn't see it because he had walked away, unable to look anymore. As Tala walked away from the cemetery, alone, a great shape flew over the cemetery. Everyone at the funeral and many more saw the great shape. No one really saw what it was because of the sun glinting behind it. But some people said it resembled something like a mystical phoenix…

_The tears that cascaded down your face_

_Broke my fragile heart_

_I had to run away_

_To make a new start_

_Your image haunts my eyes_

_Your laugh echoes in my mind_

_I can't seem to last a day without thinking about you_

_It's peace I need to find_

_I'm supposed to be heartless_

_A cold and lonely soul_

_But why do I keep seeing you?_

_What part in my life is your role?_

_You seemed to understand me_

_Understand why I am me_

_For that, I loved you_

_But now you've left and you'll be free_

_I still have a photo_

_It's sitting by my bed_

_Your smile lights up my room_

_I no longer want to see red_

_Your caring and concern shattered the ice_

_That I had built around my being_

_Your ruby-red eyes were my life_

_Now glazed and unseeing_

_My brotherly love will last an eternity_

_Even though you're not here_

_You were taken too early_

_But one day I'll meet you there_

_Hopefully now you'll be happy_

_Watching from above_

_Still kind and caring_

_You'll always be my dove. _

**Well, that's it. The fic is done!!! I might write a sequel to it. If I do it would be around about a month from where this one finished. **

**I know, I'm cruel! I killed Kai! I too, love Kai. But I had this idea in my head and wanted to write it. Kai just seemed to be the perfect candidate to die. **

**I am SOOOOOO sorry to those who have read Emotions! I have been trying really hard to update, but one of my best friends is moving to Auckland – which is like half way across the country in New Zealand – in the middle of January, and I have been a bit preoccupied with getting a farewell party sorted etc. This fic here was one I wrote in one night. **

**ANYWAYS…. that's enough from me. Hope you enjoyed the fic. **

**It would be nice if you would review, I'm pretty down right now coz of my mate moving.**

**See yaz all later.**

**DancerInTheDark101**


End file.
